HONG KONG – Hong Kong film director Danny Pang, one half of the Pang Brothers, has applied for bankruptcy after accumulating debts due to his wife’s cancer treatment.

The Pang Brothers were famous for directing horror movie The Eye (2002), which starred Malaysian actress Lee Sinje. She married Oxide Pang, the other half of the Pang Brothers, in 2010.

The Eye led to two sequels, The Eye 2 (2004) and The Eye 10 (2005).

The twin brothers were also known for directing American action thriller Bangkok Dangerous (2008), starring Nicolas Cage, and martial arts fantasy film The Storm Warriors (2009), starring Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng.

According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News, Danny Pang, spotted outside the Hong Kong High Court on Dec 19, admitted that he was applying for bankruptcy.

The media learnt that his wife of about 30 years, who suffered from breast cancer more than 10 years ago, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in February 2023.

Pang, 58, was busy filming a series in China when he learnt about her diagnosis. He decided to return to Hong Kong by leaving the show and paying compensation, as he was concerned he might not be able to see her for the last time. 

He was also originally scheduled to film a movie in China in June, with the fees likely sufficient to cover his wife’s medical expenses. In that scenario, he decided to start his wife’s treatment.

However, the filming schedule was changed repeatedly, so he had no income.

“The treatment has to continue, but my income was seriously affected,” he told Oriental Daily News. “I even put the word out that I was willing to take on editing jobs, but there were no takers due to the poor market conditions.”

He spent all his savings on his wife’s medical expenses and was unable to secure loans from banks as he did not have proof of income.

He resorted to borrowing money from second-tier money lenders, which charge higher interest rates, resulting in him racking up about HK$2 million (S$341,000) in debts. 

Pang said Oxide has helped him, but that it was not a long-term solution, as his sibling has a family to care for too.  Oxide shares seven-year-old twin boys with Lee, and has an older daughter from a previous marriage.

Pang expressed gratitude to Hong Kong actor Eddie Cheung’s wife for giving him the director’s fee in advance, when they collaborated recently on a new movie.

Pang told Oriental Daily News on Dec 20 that after his plight was reported by the media, he received calls from people expressing care and concern.

He was especially grateful to Hong Kong A-lister Francis Ng for “showing up” to express support.

Pang reiterated that he has no plans to renege on his obligations, and he hopes to be given more time to settle his debts.